Hebrew Congregation of Mountaindale Synagogue

Last updated

Hebrew Congregation of Mountaindale Synagogue
Hebrew Congregation of Mountaindale Synagogue.jpg
North elevation and west profile of synagogue, 2008
Religion
Affiliation Orthodox Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Synagogue
StatusActive
Location
Location6 Spring Glen Road, Mountaindale, Sullivan County, New York 12763
CountryUnited States
USA New York relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in New York
Geographic coordinates 41°41′20″N74°31′51″W / 41.68889°N 74.53083°W / 41.68889; -74.53083
Architecture
Date established1912 (as a congregation)
Completed1917
Construction cost$5,000
Specifications
Direction of façadeNorth
Materials Stucco, stone
Hebrew Congregation of Mountaindale Synagogue
NRHP reference No. 01000578
Added to NRHPMay 30, 2001
[1] [2]

The Hebrew Congregation of Mountaindale Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue located at 6 Spring Glen Road, in the hamlet of Mountaindale, Sullivan County, in the Catskills region of New York, in the United States. The small stucco building was built in 1917 and expanded slightly in the 1930s. The interior is notable for its heavy use of marbleizing and other decorative touches. A 2009 traffic accident and fire caused some damage to the roof.

Contents

It is the only synagogue in the county with its own mikvah , or Jewish ritual bath. [1] In 2001 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as a well-preserved example of an early 20th-century vernacular Catskill synagogue.

Property

The NRHP listing includes both the synagogue and the mikvah. The former is a three-bay two-story stucco-faced frame structure on a fieldstone foundation. Its gabled roof has asphalt shingling and a wooden cornice. A rear pavilion, built into a hill, has a hipped roof and a projecting center bay that houses the Torah. [1]

In the apex of the front gable is a round-arched window with a Star of David. This is complemented by a similar metal finial atop the roof of the single-story front vestibule, added later on a concrete base scored to look like the stone on the main building. It is above the front entrance, a broken-parapeted roofline supported by four piers. [1]

Double wooden doors open into the vestibule, which gives onto the sanctuary. It is laid out in a traditional Orthodox plan, with many of its surfaces heavily marbleized. The bimah at the center, pews surrounding it on three sides facing the ark in the rear and a separate gallery for women. The windows are set in molded wooden trim with keystones. The vaulted ceiling is finished in pressed metal with a decorative frieze, and the stained glass windows feature Hebrew motifs. [1]

The mikvah is located to the east of the building. It is a one-story square frame stucco building with a gabled roof. Inside it is divided into a changing room and the bath itself. [1]

History

Jews, most of them originally immigrants from Germany, began arriving in the Catskills and Mountaindale in the early years of the 20th century. They either began farming the area or opening summer resorts for their co-religionists, since Jews were then excluded from existing Catskill resorts. [1]

Enough had arrived by 1912 to form the congregation that year. In 1915 a Hebrew school was built and construction began on the synagogue itself. It cost $5,000 ($151,000 in 2009 dollars [3] ) to build; a benefit was held after its 1917 completion to pay off the mortgage). [1]

In 1930 the vestibule was added. The mikvah was built as a community project a decade later. Further renovations in the 1990s added beadboard siding inside, replaced the ark and put in new windows. At that time some of the original interior paintings were painted over as well, although they are preserved in photographs. [1]

The synagogue and mikvah were listed on the National Register in 2001. Eight years later, a lost truck driver attempted to back up using the synagogue's small parking lot on the north side. The trailer downed some of the electrical wires along the road, some of which landed on the roof and started a fire, damaging it slightly. [4] In 2019, it was announced that the congregation received a grant from the New York Landmarks Conservancy to repair the roof. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office (Goshen, New York)</span> United States historic place

The U.S. Post Office in Goshen, New York, United States, is located on Grand Street downtown in the village of Goshen. It serves ZIP Code 10924, roughly contiguous with the village and town. The brick Colonial Revival building was completed in 1936, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calvary Baptist Church (Ossining, New York)</span> Historic church in New York, United States

Calvary Baptist Church, originally St. Paul's Episcopal Church, is located on St. Paul's Place in Ossining, New York, United States. It is a stone building in the Gothic Revival architectural style, considered the best preserved early example of that style in Westchester County. It is also one of the few remaining Calvin Pollard buildings in the state. Built in the 1830s, it is the oldest house of worship in the village. In 1978 it and its rectory across the street were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth David Synagogue (Amenia, New York)</span> Reform synagogue in Armenia, New York (state), US

Beth David Synagogue, formally Congregation Beth David, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 3344 East Main Street in the hamlet of Amenia, New York, in the United States. It is a small brick European-style building erected in the late 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Fallsburg Hebrew Association Synagogue</span>

The South Fallsburg Hebrew Association Synagogue is a historic Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Lake Street in the hamlet of South Fallsburg, New York, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anshei Glen Wild Synagogue</span> Orthodox synagogue in Glen Wild, New York

Anshei Glen Wild Synagogue is a small former Orthodox Jewish synagogue located on Glen Wild Road, Sullivan County Route 58, in the unincorporated community of Glen Wild, New York, in the United States. The congregation was founded in 1913 by a local family and never had its own rabbi. The former synagogue is preserved virtually intact from the time of its construction in 1923. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Peter</span> Historic church in New York, United States

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Peter, known locally as the Old Stone Church, is located on US 9 in the Town of Rhinebeck, New York, United States. It is a stone church built in the late 18th century by the area's Palatine German immigrant population. It has been renovated significantly since then. The church congregation was established in 1729.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. James Episcopal Church (Batavia, New York)</span> Historic church in New York, United States

St. James Episcopal Church is located on East Main Street in Batavia, New York, United States. It is a stone Neo-Gothic structure built in the early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Pleasant (Indian Falls, New York)</span> Historic house in New York, United States

Mount Pleasant is a farm complex located in the Town of Pembroke, New York, United States, east of the hamlet of Indian Falls. It was established in the mid-19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office (Ballston Spa, New York)</span> United States historic place

The U.S. Post Office in Ballston Spa, New York, is located on Front Street in the village's commercial center. It is a brick building constructed in the mid-1930s, serving the 12020 ZIP Code, which covers the village and the surrounding areas of the Town of Ballston, Town of Milton, and Town of Malta

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Granville Congregational Church</span> Historic church in New York, United States

The South Granville Congregational Church is located on NY 149 in the hamlet of South Granville, in the town of Granville, New York, United States. The current church building is the fourth in the church's history. It is a white frame church built in the 1840s; nearby is a Greek Revival parsonage of similar vintage. The church was extensively renovated and expanded in 1873, giving it more of a Late Gothic Revival appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office (Granville, New York)</span> United States historic place

The U.S. Post Office in Granville, New York, United States, is located on Main Street in the center of the village. It is a brick building serving the ZIP Code 12832, which covers the village and surrounding areas of the Town of Granville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walden Jam-e-Masjid</span> Historic former church in New York, United States

The Walden Jam-e-Masjid, formerly the Historic Walden United Methodist Church, is a mosque located in Walden, New York, United States. It was desanctified in 2013 and sold by the congregation the following year. The building was repurposed as a mosque by a Muslim congregation after being purchased in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Baptist Church of Ossining</span> Historic church in New York, United States

The First Baptist Church of Ossining is located in the center of the village of Ossining, New York, United States. It is a brick building in the Gothic Revival architectural style with a tall wooden steeple built in the 1870s, one of Ossining's most prominent landmarks. In 1973 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sixteen years later, in 1989, it was included as a contributing property to the Downtown Ossining Historic District when it was listed on the Register.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity Episcopal Church (Claverack, New York)</span> Historic church in New York, United States

The former Trinity Episcopal Church is located on NY 23B in Claverack, New York, United States. It is a Shingle Style church building from the early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapel Hill Bible Church</span> Historic church in New York, United States

Chapel Hill Bible Church, formerly Amity Baptist Church, is a Baptist house of worship located off Bingham Road near Marlboro, New York, United States. It is a small wooden building in the Picturesque mode of the Gothic Revival architectural style dating to the mid-19th century. In 2005 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the southernmost property on the Register in Ulster County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Agudas Achim (Livingston Manor, New York)</span> Reform synagogue in New York (state), US

Agudas Achim Synagogue, formally known as Congregation Agudas Achim, is a Reform Jewish synagogue located on Rock Avenue in Livingston Manor, Sullivan County, New York, in the United States. The stucco-sided wooden building was erected in the 1920s to serve the growing Jewish community in that area of the Catskills. It served the large summer population of Jews from the New York City area who vacationed at family resorts in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Thomas Episcopal Church (Amenia Union, New York)</span> Historic church in New York, United States

St. Thomas' Episcopal Church is located on Leedsville Road in Amenia Union, New York, United States. It is a mid-19th century brick church designed by Richard Upjohn in the Gothic Revival architectural style, built for a congregation organized shortly before.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skene Memorial Library</span> United States historic place

The Skene Memorial Library is located on Main Street in Fleischmanns, New York, United States. It is also used as the village hall. The frame building, combining elements of the Queen Anne and Shingle architectural styles, dates to the early 20th century. Its exterior incorporates aspects of local train station architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation B'nai Israel Synagogue</span>

Congregation Bnai Israel Synagogue is a Conservative synagogue located on Wagner Avenue in Fleischmanns, New York, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">District School No. 14</span> United States historic place

The former District School No. 14 building is located on Academy Street in Pine Hill, New York, United States. It is a concrete-sided frame building erected in the mid-1920s.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 LaFrank, Kathleen (January 2001). "Nomination Form, Hebrew Congregation of Mountaindale Synagogue". National Register of Historic Places . New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
  2. "NPS Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service . Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  3. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  4. Whitman, Victor (March 21, 2009). "Empty egg truck hits wires, igniting Mountaindale synagogue roof". Times Herald-Record . Middletown, New York. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
  5. "Hebrew Congregation of Mountaindale receives $10,000 grant". Sullivan County Democrat. August 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2023.